The Hazards Of Distracted Driving

Megalith

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I thought this video was a clever way of demonstrating distracted driving, but I’m not sure how they figured out what each driver was really doing for some of the categories.
 
How they know what the people are doing?

Probably looked at them. I mean i see them everyday I drive to work.
Wednesday i had a guy driving in the left lane, driving way below speed limit cause he was on his phone (held by hand to his ear) totally oblivious to the speed limit sign and the line of cars behind him starting to pass him on his right.
Had i still been driving my old clunker i would have been so tempted to so drive in front of him and just hit the breaks and brace for impact.
 
Probably looked at them. I mean i see them everyday I drive to work.
Is looking at other people also considered distracted driving?
Wednesday i had a guy driving in the left lane, driving way below speed limit cause he was on his phone (held by hand to his ear) totally oblivious to the speed limit sign and the line of cars behind him starting to pass him on his right.
Had i still been driving my old clunker i would have been so tempted to so drive in front of him and just hit the breaks and brace for impact.
Isn't the whole point of complaining about distracted driving is to avoid accidents?
 
When I lived in South Florida I had a job that required a crapload of driving. I would routinely see people reading a book or newspaper while driving. To me, that's way beyond crazy. I saw so much bizarre stuff in S. Florida. I don't miss it one bit.
 
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I disagree with this video categorizing eating and talking on the phone as distracted. Neither requires me to take my attention off the road nor does it distract me in any meaningful way.
 
I disagree with this video categorizing eating and talking on the phone as distracted. Neither requires me to take my attention off the road nor does it distract me in any meaningful way.

Then your an idiot. What happens if a piece of food lodges in your throat and you start choking are you distracted then? Put the big mac down and fucking drive. How about this scenario: what about your on the phone with your wife and she tells you on the phone "I just left you, took the kids and wants a divorce". Distracted?

Also, posting comments on [H] while driving is equally as stupid.
 
Then your an idiot. What happens if a piece of food lodges in your throat and you start choking are you distracted then? Put the big mac down and fucking drive. How about this scenario: what about your on the phone with your wife and she tells you on the phone "I just left you, took the kids and wants a divorce". Distracted?

Also, posting comments on [H] while driving is equally as stupid.


What happens if you sneeze while driving? I'm regularly a 2-3 sneeze guy, and then heaven forbid I become even further distracted blowing my nose, perhaps you would prefer I let the snot dribble down my face? Choking on a piece of food while driving is several orders of magnitude less likely than sneezing while driving, especially as we're getting into allergy season. Would you tell someone to "put down the Kleenex and fucking drive"? How about this scenario, mom starts having a heart attack while in the passenger seat....Distracted?

It is always better to practice defensive driving on your own while being aware of others. Rather than make dubious claims, fabricating absurd scenarios while passing judgment on others about their driving habits.
 
Eating and driving is flat out dumb, because you're distracted trying to hold your food, eat and drive at the same time.

Doubly dangerous if eating food that is prone to falling apart such as a burger/sandwich.

You are not a god on wheels, "I can drive and eat at the same time" just shows how entirely ignorant you are on the matter.

This is why I finally got a bluetooth headset for driving, so if I have to answer the phone I can because I was sick of ppl getting mad I wouldn't answer the phone while driving.

Your only job while driving is driving, focused on the road and not trying to juggle objects in your hand.

*EDIT* And I see some ppl saying "I can use a phone and drive at the same time no problem" except that its been proven, repeatedly, that talking on a phone you have to hold to your ear and drive at the same time technically makes you more dangerous on the road than a drunk driver.

And there has been countless, and I mean countless studies proving that, when you're preoccupied holding stuff while driving, such as the phone to your ear, you become a danger to everyone else around you while driving.

Get a Bluetooth headset and wise up.
 
Eating and driving is flat out dumb, because you're distracted trying to hold your food, eat and drive at the same time.

Doubly dangerous if eating food that is prone to falling apart such as a burger/sandwich.

You are not a god on wheels, "I can drive and eat at the same time" just shows how entirely ignorant you are on the matter.

This is why I finally got a bluetooth headset for driving, so if I have to answer the phone I can because I was sick of ppl getting mad I wouldn't answer the phone while driving.

Your only job while driving is driving, focused on the road and not trying to juggle objects in your hand.

*EDIT* And I see some ppl saying "I can use a phone and drive at the same time no problem" except that its been proven, repeatedly, that talking on a phone you have to hold to your ear and drive at the same time technically makes you more dangerous on the road than a drunk driver.

And there has been countless, and I mean countless studies proving that, when you're preoccupied holding stuff while driving, such as the phone to your ear, you become a danger to everyone else around you while driving.

Get a Bluetooth headset and wise up.

Ummmm I believe it has also been "proven" that hands free is pretty much the same as using a handset... The distracting part is the conversation.

So wise up and stop talking on the phone while driving.

I know my attention is reduced even talking to someone in the car.

I believe the issue is people think they can multitask but in actuality focus is reduced and quality suffers... I believe this has also been proven
 
Then your an idiot. What happens if a piece of food lodges in your throat and you start choking are you distracted then? Put the big mac down and fucking drive. How about this scenario: what about your on the phone with your wife and she tells you on the phone "I just left you, took the kids and wants a divorce". Distracted?

Also, posting comments on [H] while driving is equally as stupid.

I can create stupid what if scenarios all day as well. I'm 37 and have never choked. I know this comes as a surprise to people but taking reasonable bites and knowing how to chew tends to prevent choking. Also I don't tend to eat messy foods that require any attention. Pretty much jerky and other one handed things that require zero attention. As mentioned in one example already, sneezing is far more of a distraction than eating. Also if you can't hold a conversation and drive at the same time, you probably don't need to be driving. Quite frankly the over whelming majority of people who drive don't have the training or experience to do so. Unfortunately we live in a country where drivers licenses are easier to get than a gun license and you are dealing with something far more dangerous. As for your snide little ignorant comment, I would be willing to bet I have more training and more miles driven in a professional setting than you and most of the people in this thread combined. So how about your stop judging others based on your lack of experience.

I'll just go ahead and add this before someone posts something equally dumb.

# miles driven in my lifetime at this point 750,000
Number of car accidents I've been in that was my fault - 0
Number of moving traffic infractions I've had - 0
Number of non moving traffic infractions I've had - 0
Number of traffic incidents I've seen by terrible untrained drivers who never should have been allowed in a car - I've lost count.

So yea, I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing at this point.
 
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I have a Kenwood car stereo with built-in Bluetooth and external mic, few months back I bumped into a parked car while dialing the freakin number :banghead:
 
Then your an idiot. What happens if a piece of food lodges in your throat and you start choking are you distracted then? Put the big mac down and fucking drive. How about this scenario: what about your on the phone with your wife and she tells you on the phone "I just left you, took the kids and wants a divorce". Distracted?

Also, posting comments on [H] while driving is equally as stupid.

Idiocracy has come to define our very existence. I am far beyond choking on a piece of tomato from my gyro. The problem is THE AMOUNT OF MORONS with a license, or driving without one. They have the test in like 10 """ing languages now and just skate people through. You should NOT be driving if you cannot understand the gd language of the place you want to call home! Per your example, if my wife called me with that news, I'd freaking gun it. No, honestly, I would pull the F over. That stuff doesn't just appear out of thin air, you know it's close or coming close. I would concede there are a few circumstances it could happen, but they would be way few and far between. For some perspective, here are the stats for deaths related to accidents and deaths related to heart failure.

List of causes of death by rate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
I can create stupid what if scenarios all day as well. I'm 37 and have never choked. I know this comes as a surprise to people but taking reasonable bites and knowing how to chew tends to prevent choking. Also I don't tend to eat messy foods that require any attention. Pretty much jerky and other one handed things that require zero attention. As mentioned in one example already, sneezing is far more of a distraction than eating. Also if you can't hold a conversation and drive at the same time, you probably don't need to be driving. Quite frankly the over whelming majority of people who drive don't have the training or experience to do so. Unfortunately we live in a country where drivers licenses are easier to get than a gun license and you are dealing with something far more dangerous. As for your snide little ignorant comment, I would be willing to bet I have more training and more miles driven in a professional setting than you and most of the people in this thread combined. So how about your stop judging others based on your lack of experience.

I'll just go ahead and add this before someone posts something equally dumb.

# miles driven in my lifetime at this point 750,000
Number of car accidents I've been in that was my fault - 0
Number of moving traffic infractions I've had - 0
Number of non moving traffic infractions I've had - 0
Number of traffic incidents I've seen by terrible untrained drivers who never should have been allowed in a car - I've lost count.

So yea, I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing at this point.

Hah, just posted the same thing...I should have read the entire thread. It's all the other idiots you have to worry about, but I suppose they generalize for the stupid masses. One person always ruins it...
 
Who cares about 10,000 people dying? A small circle of people will be affected, and in less than 200 years, no one will remember the dead or those affected by the death. Cold, hard truth of life right there. People are too busy to worry about such minor things, and there's nothing wrong with that. People are, literally, a dime a dozen, and some untimely deaths help more than hinder.
 
I was a medic for a good while and I can tell you we picked up more tragic fatalities due to talking on phone or texting than drunk drivers. We had to take an 8hr class to be able to drive the wambulance and talk on the phone, while it is greatly frowned upon there are times that sensitive information can not be transmitted via the radio. I saw a decline in talking/txting/driving for a while but it looks to be making a big come back. Just the other day I was in town and a very tasty young lady was all over the road and on the phone, I pulled next to her at a light and hollered till she looked I then told her she was to beautiful to be scraped off the pavement because she could not wait to make that phone call when she got home or pulled over. As much as I am all for watching the idiots die off from stupidity they do major harm to good people. As someone already mentioned "You have one job while driving, DRIVING" Some one at home loves you and whats you back safely so put the damn phone down and drive.

God Bless and Happy Easter.
 
I can create stupid what if scenarios all day as well. I'm 37 and have never choked. I know this comes as a surprise to people but taking reasonable bites and knowing how to chew tends to prevent choking. Also I don't tend to eat messy foods that require any attention. Pretty much jerky and other one handed things that require zero attention. As mentioned in one example already, sneezing is far more of a distraction than eating. Also if you can't hold a conversation and drive at the same time, you probably don't need to be driving. Quite frankly the over whelming majority of people who drive don't have the training or experience to do so. Unfortunately we live in a country where drivers licenses are easier to get than a gun license and you are dealing with something far more dangerous. As for your snide little ignorant comment, I would be willing to bet I have more training and more miles driven in a professional setting than you and most of the people in this thread combined. So how about your stop judging others based on your lack of experience.

I'll just go ahead and add this before someone posts something equally dumb.

# miles driven in my lifetime at this point 750,000
Number of car accidents I've been in that was my fault - 0
Number of moving traffic infractions I've had - 0
Number of non moving traffic infractions I've had - 0
Number of traffic incidents I've seen by terrible untrained drivers who never should have been allowed in a car - I've lost count.

So yea, I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing at this point.

Distracted driving does not always mean unsafe driving, but it does often mean poor driving and causing inconveniences for others.

To use an example above, the guy driving slow due to talking on the phone wasn't necessarily being unsafe, but he was driving badly and inconveniencing others. Anyone that does not practice courteous driving is driving badly in my book, and there is a difference between driving badly safely and driving badly unsafely.
 
Regardless of it being safe or not, I am not going to put myself into a position where my hands cannot immediately get a hold of the steering wheel, meaning I will NEVER use my hand to hold my phone while driving.

In fact, I have been searching for ways to program the phone (app or otherwise) to refuse calls automatically if it detects a certain Bluetooth device connected, and I intend to program that condition onto my car's handsfree. If my car's handsfree is connected, it means I am driving the car, which means no calls accepted under any circumstances.

Even if it was an emergency call, I have no intention of adding to that emergency with an accident of my own.

However, I must admit, drivers who stare at their phone and driving is very brave by placing their lives in the hands of other drivers...
 
I'm in the market for a car, I was surprised by the new tech that is out there....

The following video is CURRENT tech.

Doesn't mean I can drive distracted.. but it allows me to feel a bit safer if everyone else was in these :)



Axe
 
Am I the only person who see's a promo for Voltron? Or am I missing it?

2016-03-28 14_00_08-HARDOCP - HardOCP Computer Hardware Reviews and News.png
 
Tests have proven talking on the phone whilst driving are actually WORSE than drink driving..... As your mind is elsewhere..... and not actually in the car.

my favourite video

 
I used to ride power bikes so am extremely aware of how dangerous the roads are.
In a car, I simply dont make mistakes....
but for when friends are talking to me.
One time I pulled out in front of someone on a roundabout, another I went through a red light without even seeing it and nearly hit an unmarked police car coming round the bend. That was fun!
Another I almost ploughed into a line of stationary traffic when a friend waved.

Unbelievable for me, it goes to show how bad distractions are.
 
Eating and driving isn't illegal.
Talking on a cell phone is not illegal (granted hands free but either way it's a distraction to some).
Texting and driving is illegal in most states.

They actually preface the video by saying that all these activities prevent people from watching the road which is a false. Only texting does.
It's also an ad for an insurance company.

Then your an idiot.
This quote is hilarious. Keep it up.
 
what about smoking? See those people messing with their cancer sticks while driving.
 
Eating and driving isn't illegal.
Talking on a cell phone is not illegal (granted hands free but either way it's a distraction to some).
Texting and driving is illegal in most states.
Eating and driving is illegal in the UK.
As I imagine is taking a swig of a drink, but I havent seen a report of that.
 
I used to ride power bikes so am extremely aware of how dangerous the roads are.
In a car, I simply dont make mistakes....
but for when friends are talking to me.
One time I pulled out in front of someone on a roundabout, another I went through a red light without even seeing it and nearly hit an unmarked police car coming round the bend. That was fun!
Another I almost ploughed into a line of stationary traffic when a friend waved.

Unbelievable for me, it goes to show how bad distractions are.

I can relate to that. I went through a red turn light because I was distracted talking to my coworkers in the car. I was watching the road, so I knew there were no cars moving through the intersection, but the red light just didn't register.
 
And this is why I can't wait for driverless cars. Everyone thinks they're the good driver. And just because you yourself have never been in an accident does not mean you haven't caused an accident. Every day on my way to work, there's always an accident.
 
Distracted driving is a problem, but that answer is not going to be in fining people for it. How many people turn their heads or stare in rear view to converse with someone? Anything that takes any percentage of your perception from what you are doing, is distracted driving. There are degrees of this of course, but once you start banning too many activities, where does drawing lines in the sand stop? When you get in a car and on a public road, you are engaging in a risk and we all know it. And using our own selves as a data point that "i can do blah blah blah and be fine" is not sufficient data, would you want your stick shift made illegal because one person could not drive it safely?

Note: Sneezing while driving still terrifies me.
 
I used to ride power bikes so am extremely aware of how dangerous the roads are.
In a car, I simply dont make mistakes....
but for when friends are talking to me.
One time I pulled out in front of someone on a roundabout, another I went through a red light without even seeing it and nearly hit an unmarked police car coming round the bend. That was fun!
Another I almost ploughed into a line of stationary traffic when a friend waved.

Unbelievable for me, it goes to show how bad distractions are.

No, all this shows is how bad distractions are for you. These examples just make you a bad driver and doesn't infer anything to the rest of us.
 
No, all this shows is how bad distractions are for you. These examples just make you a bad driver and doesn't infer anything to the rest of us.
One day it will apply to you.
I hope on that day you dont kill anyone.

You havent got a clue about me or yourself.
I take steps to make sure I am not distracted, you do the opposite.
Nothing more needs saying apart from get your head out of your arse.
 
Can we get a german to put there input here. I know their laws are pretty strict.

And that would apply how?

Their entire society is "orderly", yes, orderly is how I would describe it. But you can't apply that here because our society is anything but orderly. That's the big problem with all these ideas people get about trying to foist European answers on America. Their societies are different and just trying to adopt their rules won't somehow miraculously make Germans and Dutch out of us. I've been to Germany and they have lanes painted on the sidewalks separating foot from bicycle traffic. In the US I see people walk down the middle of the freaking street in town not even on the sidewalk.

But if you want to see what a German things about this why not. I just don't want you thinking that copying their laws and rules would change anything here. There laws are probably just fine for their people, we just aren't them.
 
I'd be happy if local law enforcement actually enforced these new distracted driving laws. My state made a big deal about these new laws going into effect and after a week or so things seemed to have gone back to how they were before the law existed. Our town could be sitting on a gold mine if they were to enforce these new laws. Walking down main street, watching drivers, it seems like every other driver is looking down at their damn phone. It's scary. Even scarier, folks seem to find this acceptable. Hell, my town had a kid struck in a crosswalk while crossing with a crossing guard in front the elementary school last year on his way into school by a fellow texting while driving and still nothing changes. No one is fearful of getting pulled over for distracted driving. Something needs to give. Double the fines and start pulling people over, because apparently the well being of others isn't enough incentive for folks to do the right thing and put the f'n phone down.
 
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All the people that do it instead of keeping their hands on the wheel will tell you they are the best drivers in the world. That is the reason why they can. And they will keep telling you that until they get into an accident.
 
Need to ask the cops themselves why the new laws don't seem to be having an impact or deterrence effect. There is usually a reason, the law is written stupidly and it's too hard to prove. You know anything that isn't measurable by a radar gun, a camera, something, is going to be contested and those same people with the phones in their faces are going to be calling the cop a liar in front of the Judge.

Talk to your cops and ask them about it, see what they say.
 
One day it will apply to you.
I hope on that day you dont kill anyone.

You havent got a clue about me or yourself.
I take steps to make sure I am not distracted, you do the opposite.
Nothing more needs saying apart from get your head out of your arse.

As shown in a previous post, I have historical data that proves I'm far more competent on the road than you. When you manage to go 3/4 of a million miles of driving without a single accident or violation then you can try to talk down on me. Until then you are the one talking out of your ass. Given your self proclaimed driving history it is going to be a long long time before you get there.
 
You have proved that you are an accident waiting to happen.
Mr big you are not.
 
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